Sky television presenters are now required to wear two badges on their chests, one that says “Black Lives Matter”, the other “NHS”. I am not knocking either, but what state have we reached when a major TV company becomes so political and pathetically ‘politically correct’? I know for certain that a number, maybe quite a large number would not wear those badges out of choice. What is it that has persuaded the Sky bosses to so openly proclaim their support? Did they do it when CND (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, lest you’ve forgotten) was a major movement? Or Greenpeace, or Save the Rhino, or Gun Control, or Climate Change, or Women’s Rights, or LGBTQXYZ, or ERFWMCMH, (Equal Rights for White Middle Class Male Heterosexuals), or Stop Mrs Tutt Nagging, or Ban Teenagers? Did they heck. Had I been working for Sky now would I have done it? I guess if you want to keep your job you probably have no choice. I recall when working for BBC Radio Sport as a junior reporter that the NUJ called everyone out on strike. Having only fairly recently left the Army, that was a totally alien concept for me. As a freelancer, I wasn’t a member of the Union so I didn’t join the strike, but it caused a lot of heartache. I felt compelled to write a letter to the Director General telling him that I supported the strikers’ cause, as I was likely to benefit from any improvement in pay and conditions. My boss told me afterwards that my letter had gone down very badly with senior management! Oh well.
I’ve just heard that a lot of people I used to work with on the golf scene have been given their cards, with the minimal permissible pay-offs. It will come as a huge blow to “lifers” who were rightly expecting at least a silver handshake. By all accounts The European Tour is about to announce some swingeing cuts too. Keith Pelley, the immensely energetic Canadian Chief Executive who has apparently made a huge difference to the success of the Tour, has been responsible for dramatically increasing the payroll; it seems that might have been unwise? It was beneath his dignity to talk to me, despite my having worked with the Tour for thirty years, so I can’t really comment on his thinking. I’m sure he’ll be ok though, with his multi-million earnings.
Meanwhile, the new breed of managers have been using their Lockdown time well. All staff are now being introduced to the essential buzzwords that have been dreamt up at great expense and which will undoubtedly make golf tournaments much more successful, even without spectators. The new management-speak includes “quarterbacking” (which I think means “I’ve got your back”), “steak holders” (which has nothing to do with barbecuing), “granular” (not the quality of sand in bunkers), “move the needle” (that’s got me in stitches), “quick win” (can’t refer to a four day golf tournament, but maybe it’s the T20 equivalent?) and “touchpoint” (your guess is as good as mine? Where the club hits the ground perhaps?)
All this reminds me a little of John Burt’s stint as Director General of the BBC. A period that with the benefit of hindsight wasn’t a purple patch in the BBC’s stellar history. Actually those of us who were there at the time didn’t need hindsight.
I have a new word that describes all this; “bollocks”.
ADayInTheStrifeOf 